Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-01-08
BROUGHT BACK.

Fred. A. CampbeIPs Crime = Affecting
Scene in Court.
Yesterday morning officer Farren re-
turned from Winnemucca, bringing back
with him Fred. A. Campbell, for whom he
went with a warrant charging grand
larceny, in appropriating to himself s21l
belonging to ]. H Mendel, proprietor OF
saloon on X street, who had hired Camp
bell to tend bar for him temporarily
Campbell made the officer no trouble re-
| turning, and, on being taken into the
Police Court, few hours after his arrival
waived examination, as far as practicable
under the law, and was held to answer be-
| fore the Superior Court. His statement is
that on the night he took the money he
had been drinking hard. and did not know
what he was doing. After pocketing the
money he asked another man TO take
charge of the saloon for awhile, and went
over to the depot. Sometime later he found
himself beneath some trees between the
depot and shops, where he had been sleep
ing for two or three hours. While ne was
trying to straighten matters out mentaliy,
and was in doubt as to what he should 90,
he noticed that a construction train was ne
ing made up in the yard. Getting upon IL
he rode to Roseville, and afterwards went
on by another train to Truckee. From that
place he concluded to go to Salt Lake, and
had got as far as Winnemucca all right
when Constable armed with Chief Dill
mans dispatch stopped him. He had then
$40 of the stolen money left.
Having made up his mind that 1t was
useless to struggle against the evidence OF
his guilt possessed by the authorities, he
desired to get through with the matter as
quickly as possible, and accordingly re-
quested to be taken at once before the Su-
perior Court, The case come up at l P. NJ.
before Judge Van Fleet. After q plea of
guilty had been entered to the charge OF
grand larceny presented by District Attor-
ney Bruner officer Farren testified to the
fact of the larceny, narrated the prisoners
statement, and informed the Court that he
had known the defendant for several
months prior to the commission OF the
crime, and he was hard-working man of
good behavior. Just as the prisoner had
arisen 10 receive sentence young woman
of modest demeanor entered the Court
room, and weepingly inquired if he could
not give bail. 1t proved to be his wife, to
whom he had been married but about three
months, and who had not seen him before
since the day on which, his conscience
deadened by inebriety, he had robbed his
employer. As he turned and saw her
the tears came into his eyes, and he threw
himself into a chair weeping bitterly.
When, after the lapse of few minutes, he
had become more composed, and had an
swered the questions of the Judge, includ-
ing a statement that he had intended send
ing for his wife to join him if he had not
been caught, the Court stated that, taking
the circumstances into consideration, and
giving credence to some extent to the pris-
oner's statement, he would impose light
sentence, and ordered that he be confined
two years in the State Prison at Folsom.
The "Firemen's Relief Fund"
The Statutes of 1885, chapter Is, provide
for the collection of a yearly tax of one per
cent. on the premiums received by foreign
fire insurance companies doing business in
this State, the money to be paid to the
Treasurer of every county, or city and
county, in the State. This tax is designed
to constitute a fund, to be known as the
" firemanS relief fund" of the county, or
city and county, in which the property in
sured, or agreed to be insured is situated.
The fund is to be under the control of the
Fire Commissioners, and the Act provides
in detail for the manner in which il shall
be managed and disabled firemen benefited.
The Act doubtless was especially intended
for the benefit of the San Francisco Fire
Department, but has general application,
and, as the Sacramento department has
small sum as nucleus in its charitable
fund, received mainly from property owners
who made gifts in recognition of the good
work done by the tiremen, it would be a
good thing to see how much the enforce
ment of this law would aid the Sacramento
fire laddies. The foreign insurance compa-
MES do not appear to have complied with
the statute by making payments to the Sac
ramento County or City Treasurers, not
withstanding the fact that the Insurance
Commissioner is authorized and directed to
impose penalty of $1,000 for each failure
to comply; and no effort has been made 10
collect Yesterday, however, l. Josephs
and d. E. Alexander brought the matter to
the attention of the Supervisors by making
an offer to collect the amounts due, bring
ing suit, if necessary. at their own cost, and
charging as their remuneration one-half of
the amount collected. The Supervisors
deemed it better to see if the District At
torney could not secure the money, and
submitted the matter to that official, who
will inquire into it and report at the next
meeting of the Board, which will be early
in February.